24 in 48 Read-a-thon!

This is my first year participating in the 24 in 48 Read-A-Thon and I'm so excited! The goal is to read for 24 of 48 hours over the weekend of January 26 - 27, and is a way to challenge yourself to really set aside time to read. This post will be where I'll post my updates on my progress over the weekend! I'll also be posting to my stories over on my Instagram so be sure to follow me there too!

Are you participating in the read-a-thon? What are you planning to read this weekend? How will you divide your time? Keep in touch over the next 48 hours in the comments!

Friday, January 25 @ 9:00 PM - The Challenge Begins!

I'm on the West Coast, so I decided to join the challenge in real-time and started at 9 PM on Friday night and read until like 12:30 AM or so. I'm more of a morning person than a night person because I'm an old librarian.

Books Read:

Books Started:

Saturday, January 26

Got back to it at about 7:00 AM on Saturday morning! Brewed coffee, made some toast, and finished Hearts Unbroken (which I highly recommend). I worked out then started a short story collection because I had an aerial silks class at 11:30 and it seemed the easiest way to get some reading in before. However, the collection I chose traumatized me 2 stories in and I had to give it up. I went to my class, came home, made a snack platter, and dove into Melmoth. A slow but good book, I took a break from it with Paperback Crush, a history of all the books I loved reading as a tween. Got back into Melmoth and I'm about 3/4 of the way through, so will finish that today. Also started A Princess in Theory because I thought the other book might put me to sleep. I am, however, I an old baby because I gave up around 11:30 PM and set my alarm for 6:30 AM. I put in 13.5 hours so far!

Books Finished:

 

Books DNF:

Books Started:

 

Sunday, January 27

I did it, I did it! I also managed to reset my timer at about 17 hours in, so I didn't get the epic 24 hour screenshot and almost lost my damn mind. However, I did manage to read for 24 hours of 48 hours! I was kind of exhausted by the end and just ended up finishing the last five hours listening to a Tessa Dare audiobook while cooking dinner.

Books Finished:

Books Started:

Total Books Read: 5.5

Total Pages Read: 1,643

Overall, I had a blast trying to read this much and also keeping up with everyone else's readathons. I hope to participate in the summer edition!

Review: The Address by Fiona Davis

Title: The Address
Author: Fiona Davis
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: August 2017
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Do you ever check out a book from the library on a whim and then end up so pleasantly surprised by the story that you can't believe your good luck? That was me with The Address; I saw the cover on Libby, my favorite library borrowing app, and immediately checked it out, even though I knew little of the story. I'm familiar with Fiona Davis for writing historical fiction centered around architectural landmarks, but I haven't read one before. Now, my TBR is filled with her books and I can't wait to read more.

The Address focuses on The Dakota, the famed New York City apartment house overlooking Central Park. Following dual timelines, the first heroine we meet is Sara Smythe, an Englishwoman running a luxury hotel in London who takes a chance managing an apartment house, then a very new concept, in New York, offered to her by an architect staying in her hotel who rewards her for saving his daughter from an accident. Sara is smart and capable, but shamed by her background of being the daughter of a housekeeper who had an affair with her noble master. Seeking a fresh start, Sara crosses the Atlantic and arrives in New York with no idea of what her job would be. Unlike today, The Dakota of the 1800's was located in what was considered the middle of nowhere, away from the center of the city. It was a haven for the up and coming members of society who were making their own fortunes instead of inheriting legacies. I loved Davis' description of the building and the location. I've seen it in person but it was lovely to imagine how it must have looked when it was surrounded by near-wilderness.

The Dakota in the 19th century

Meanwhile, we fast forward to 1980's New York, also a fascinating time, and meet Bailey Camden, a recovering alcoholic and interior designer who is trying to get back on her feet after leaving rehab. Her "cousin" Melinda, so-called because Bailey's grandfather was raised as a ward by Melinda's great-grandparents, is the descendent the same architect who offered Sara Smythe that job so many years ago, and Melinda has since inherited an apartment in the Dakota. Melinda tasks Bailey with redecorating it, 80's style, and Bailey is allowed to live there while she reluctantly takes down all of the historical detail and charm in order to please Melinda. While there, Bailey makes friends with one of the older residents who relates to her the history of the building, and with the super, who aids Bailey in her search to research the history of the Camdens. While going through old trunks in the apartment storage, Bailey uncovers secrets that may change her fate and shed light on what happened to Sara Smythe.

In Bailey's world, the Dakota is famed for being the site where John Lennon was killed

This story ticks all the boxes for me: there's history, there's flawed female leads, and there's a murder mystery. Sara Smythe, who we have gotten to know in the past, is infamous in Bailey's time for murdering the architect Camden; what series of events lead this level-headed, ambitious woman to murder a man she seems to idealize? How is Bailey connected to a hundred year old mystery? There are also cameos from 19th century figures to look forward to, as well as a few plot twists and turns I wasn't expecting. I was all in for the ride no matter how wild it got, so I recommend going into this book without research too much what it is about. Throughout it all, Davis manages to capture both the glitz and glamour as well as the dark underbelly of both time periods that this story includes.

Overall, I really enjoyed the storytelling style, the alternating timelines, and the way both women's stories wove together. Now please excuse me while I read all of Fiona Davis' backlist and pre-order her 2019 release, The Chelsea Girls.

2019 Reading Goals

Since we're almost 2 weeks into 2019, I figured I should probably post my reading goals for the year before it's too late for them to be New Year's Resolutions. Luckily, I ended 2018 on a really good note in my reading life, having had a month of regular reading and plenty of four and five star reads. My awesome end to 2018 (in terms of reading at least) made me pretty optimistic about how my bookish life will look in 2019, and we'll see if my expectations live up to reality.

Looking Back on 2018

Happy New Year from me and Fabio

Not gonna lie, I had a harding time getting back into reading around the start of 2018. I had to read a lot of books for an award committee that I was on, which meant reading quite a few books I wouldn't normally read, and it's really draining to have to read something as opposed to choosing to read it. I had a flashback to being in college and being forced to read Frankenstein and hating it; had I chose to read it, maybe I would have been less critical. But every now and then, I would read a book that would make me want to keep reading, and by November I was getting back into it. I started a new job and was able to have more time in the mornings before work to read, and have just been in a better head space in general which made me want to take care of myself during my downtime with my favorite thing- reading.

Booknerd highlight: taking a photo with Fabio on New Year's Eve. I fangirled just a little bit.

Favorite Reads of 2018

  

  

  

Challenges

Goal: Read 25 contemporary romance books

Goal: Read 25 historical fiction books

Goal: Ready for 24 of 48 hours 1/26/19 - 1/27/19

Goal: Read 52 books that fit categories designated for 52 weeks

Reading Resolutions

• Read what feels good and don't feel bad about quitting a book
• Read more books that I own
• Borrow ebooks from the library instead of buying them, as I usually don't re-read them
• Try authors I've never read before
• Keep reading diverse books
• Prioritize reading and reviewing ARCs I am approved for on NetGalley

How about you? Do you set reading goals for the year or just play it by ear? Signed up for any challenges? Leave them below! I'm always looking for more challenges, as if I don't have enough books to read.

Review: Spectacle by Jodie Lynn Zdrok

Title: Spectacle
Author: Jodie Lynn Zdrok
Genre: YA/Historical/Fantasy/Mystery
Release Date: February 2019
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Spectacle is an atmospheric YA debut that promises thrills and horror and, fortunately, the story delivers; set in 1887 Paris, we begin the story following Nathalie, a 16-year-old burgeoning reporter who is tasked with writing the morgue report for Le Petit Journal. While visiting the morgue, which is open to the public, to research her daily article, Nathalie finds herself supernaturally entangled in a mystery of a serial killer, and discovers she may possess unique gifts that could help the police unmask the murderer. Aided by her best friend Simone and a cute young investigator, Nathalie puts her journalism skills and her unique gifts to work in unraveling a gruesome mystery.

Throughout the book, Zdrok does an excellent job capturing the morbid fascination with true crime that was as true in the 19th century as it is today. In Nathalie's world, Parisians view corpses at the morgue with their toddlers in tow, visit wax museums depicting scenes of murder victims, and enjoy celebratory drinks after watching a public execution. Even though this book takes place in the summer, it has a very eerie vibe and the setting really drew me into the story with its cafés, cabarets, and catacombs.

There were def some Penny Dreadful vibes

In addition to the time period and the setting, I also really enjoyed being in Nathalie's head; she's smart and rational, so I wasn't constantly yelling at her like I find myself doing so often with mystery books. I also loved that Nathalie actually had friends who were fully developed and had their own lives, only adding to the realism of her world, and her parents really added to the story instead of fading into the background, which I find happens all too often in YA novels. I don't want to discuss too much of the plot in this review in order to avoid spoilers, but I thought there actually were a good amount of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I almost didn't trust a single person throughout the story, especially due to the elements of mysterious magic, missing memories, and visits to the insane asylum (I'm telling you, this book has it all). At times, the middle of the book was paced a bit slow, but it quickly picked up and sucked me back in.

I found this debut to be an excellent read that I would recommend to lovers of historical mysteries (I read all of the Lady Julia Grey books, so I'm the target audience) who also enjoy fantasy and horror elements thrown in as well. This is kind of a dark read with some gruesome details, but to me that adds to its appeal. I hope there are more books planned set in this world, because I'm dying to find out more!

Note: I received a digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing me this copy!

Review: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Title: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating
Author: Christina Lauren
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 2018
Rating: 4/5 Stars

This book was such a cute, fun way to start off my 2019 reading life! I really enjoyed Roomies by this author duo, and after finishing that one I knew I had to  give Josh and Hazel a try. Living in Portland, our leading lady is Hazel, an elementary teacher who is quirky and funny and unapologetic about her unique personality. She describes herself as "undateable", due to the fact that so many guys expect her to change who she is in order to be more palatable, but ever since she remembers her father calling her mother "embarrassing", she knows she'll never change who she is for a guy. This leads her to instead focus mostly on her friendships, all the while having an aversion to long-term relationships. 

Our hero, meanwhile, is Josh Im, who is practical and steady, but also very non-judgmental and is one of the few people who will go along with Hazel's bits or at least doesn't get embarrassed by them. They met in college, and college-Hazel dreamed of making Josh her best friend; when they reconnect later in life, they decide that they don't want to date each other (for some reason!!!), but instead set each other up on blind double dates (yes this is as hilarious as it sounds), until they figure out why they should be together instead.

I loved every minute of Hazel and her unique world-view (and collection of pets), and the banter between she and Josh felt so real. Watching their relationship grow and evolve was one of my favorite parts of the novel. Meanwhile, I also appreciate how this author duo always works diversity into their books, as they simply present the modern world as many people move through it, which means characters of different cultures, sexual orientations, and economic backgrounds. Friend groups are diverse and side characters feel fully three-dimensional, which to me just makes the couple seem more real and makes me want to root for them more. Christina Lauren books are becoming my go-to for upbeat contemporary romance with a good mix of humor and drama. 

If you like light romances that read quickly but feature unique characters, definitely check this one out!